The Bargain

Chapter 18

~GWYN~

Gwyn found herself thinking about Azriel at odd times of the day. Well, perhaps that wasn't entirely true. She had been thinking about him more and more leading up to the moment that they had admitted their hidden feelings to one another. It was more that now that he was her boyfriend that she allowed herself to think about him. She didn't have to pretend to feel guilty if she was caught humming under breath as she daydreamed about a certain hockey player. She didn't have to try to put him from her mind and go on with her day. No, now she could indulge. And indulge she did.

On Tuesday afternoon, Gwyn was scheduled to work in the library. Thankfully it was quiet, no frantic students rushing the reference desk in search of assistance. Though, now that midterms had passed and finals were drawing nearer, it was only a matter of time until those end of semester deadlines loomed large. But Gwyn was not about to let a quiet afternoon in the library go to waste. There were still a few days until the soloist auditions, and she was sneaking in practice whenever and wherever she could.

Taking a small armful of returns, Gwyn left the reference desk empty, save for a small placard that promised the librarian would return shortly, and climbed the stairs to the top floor. There was never anyone up here. Aimlessly strolling the silent stacks, Gwyn sang to herself, imagining she was on stage, the spotlight shining on her, and only her. But she wasn't alone. She knew Catrin would be there too, tucked safely into her heart.

Gwyn paused in her steps to reshelve a book, but she kept singing. Her eyes fluttered closed as her fingers left the spine and she was transported to the stage in her mind once more. Only this time, she could see through the blinding light and out into the audience. And there, in her mind's eye, was Azriel in the front row. He smiled as she sang, as if her performance was just for him. She poured her heart and soul into the song, even though she was only signing to the books. And as the final notes faded away, there was a small tear in the corner of her eye.

"That was beautiful, baby." Azriel's voice cut through the now quiet library. Gwyn's eyes flew open in surprise. She jumped, almost dropping her remaining books, and whirled around in the direction his voice had come from. She found him leaning against the end of the row she had been working in, hands in his pockets, one foot slightly stacked in front of the other.

"Az! How long have you been standing there?"

"Not long enough," he told her. "I think I missed the first verse. You'll have to sing it again for me."

"I'm not supposed to be singing in the library," she demurred.

"And yet, here you are. All alone on the top floor putting on a concert."

"I didn't think anyone would hear me. No one ever comes up here."

"You should want people to hear you." Azriel stood up straight, pushing off the shelf. He walked down the aisle toward Gwyn. "You have the voice of an angel, Gwyn. I know that probably seems like a cheesy line, but it's the truth."

He stopped right in front of her and ran a hand up and down her arm. That's how it was between them now, near constant touches whenever they were together. It was like they were drawn to each other, physically unable to resist the other, to stay away. Gwyn craved his touch; it soothed her and excited her all in one.

Her arms were still wrapped around the books when she pushed up onto her toes to kiss Azriel. It was a chaste kiss, but still tender. Azriel brought the hand that had been brushing along her arm up to cup her cheek. What a picture they made. If someone had captured this moment, she might have thought to caption it 'Young Love.' Gwyn sighed against his lips, and Azriel swept his arms around her, resting his hand on the small of her back, coaxing her closer to him. And the kiss changed.